Savory Herb Roasted Acorn Squash with Parmesan

This roasted acorn squash recipe is unlike anything else you’ll find. We think it’s the best (and easiest) way to prepare acorn squash for your dinner table, holiday menu, and fun foodie gatherings. 

Acorn squash recipes are most often doused in butter and brown sugar, but that’s certainly not the only way to enjoy this delicious, nutritious, and hearty winter veggie. One taste of this savory squash recipe, and you’ll be hooked!

Should Roasted Acorn Squash Be Sweet or Savory?

We think there are way too many acorn squash recipes out there that lean on sugar without exploring the savory side of this great-tasting winter squash. In this recipe, you match this naturally sweet veg with herbs, garlic, butter, and Parmesan cheese, delighting your tastebuds with an amazing range of flavors.

Health Benefits of Acorn Squash

Acorn squash is a delicious and good-for-you vegetable, no matter how it’s prepared. Acorn squash is an excellent source of:

• Fiber (9 grams per cup)
• Vitamin C (for immunity)
• B vitamins (for metabolism support)
• Vitamin A (a disease-fighting protective provitamin)

Ingredients to make Roasted Acorn squash

This recipe tastes fancy enough for a restaurant menu, but it comes together so easily with everyday ingredients from your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you need to make one of the best acorn squash recipes you’ll ever taste:

• Acorn squash – this recipe was designed to use acorn squash, though you could use butternut squash, delicata, or another sturdy winter squash variety
• Parmesan cheese – Parmesan is an easy-to-find and flavorful choice to use in the roasted acorn squash recipe. You could also use Asiago cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, Manchego, or another hard-aged white cheese. If you’d like to make this recipe vegan, you can try using your favorite vegan Parmesan alternative. We have not tested this option, so we can’t promise the results will be similar. 
• Herbs – you can use fresh or dried herbs or a combination of both. We recommend using a combination of thyme, sage, oregano, and rosemary, or dried Italian seasoning to make it easy.
• Butter – may sub ghee, olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil
• Garlic powder – can use grated fresh garlic or onion powder in a pinch
• Salt and black pepper

This savory and salty combination of ingredients tastes magically good when it coats the acorn squash roasted to perfection on a baking sheet in your oven. The skin of the squash gets tender enough to eat, if you’d like. Or, you can easily peel it away from the tender, buttery, cheesy half-moons of squash.

Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

How To Make Herb-Roasted Parmesan Acorn Squash

Here’s our method for making this perfectly tender oven-baked acorn squash in 5 steps.

1. Preheat the oven and prep the pans: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line one large (or two medium size) baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. Cut the squash: Cut the acorn squash in half, from stem to tip, and scoop out the seeds. Then, cut each squash half into ½-inch thick, moon-shaped slices.
3. Make the topping: In a bowl, combine the Parmesan, herbs, melted butter, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper; toss until well mixed.
4. Press the topping onto the squash: Spread the acorn squash pieces out onto the prepared baking sheet(s). Using your hands, gently press the Parmesan mixture onto one side of each squash piece for maximum coverage (it’s OK if a little falls off; just do your best). Flip each piece of squash and repeat.
5. Bake the squash: Bake until acorn squash pieces are tender and the Parmesan topping is crispy and slightly browned (about 25 minutes). If desired, garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and herbs. Use a flat spatula to lift each piece off of the baking dish and onto a serving tray or dinner plates. 

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

Here’s What Readers Say About This Five-Star Acorn Squash Recipe

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My first experience with acorn squash and I LOVE IT! We grew some in our garden this year and this recipe was easy and awesome! So easy to make. So DELICIOUS! And much healthier than adding maple syrup or brown sugar. Even the skin tastes GREAT! I look forward to fall and this recipe. Absolutely delicious. Looks exactly as pictured. I had never had acorn squash and did not want to use sugar. I was skeptical but, much to my surprise, this was delicious. I will be making it again. This is a tasty alternative to the sweet brown sugar and nuts version. The evening full moon was so bright it light up our yard like a yard light. I went out several times to look at the sky. When I cam back in, the herbal aroma was delicious. ~ Simon

How To Store

Acorn squash is considered a long-storing winter squash (along with pumpkins, butternut squash, delicata, spaghetti squash, and more). It lasts for a long time after harvest when stored in a cool and dark place.

If you have leftovers, we’d be surprised! But you can easily store this squash for reheating. As long as you use an airtight container, your squash will stay fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. To reheat, place the desired portion on a baking pan and heat for 7-9 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven or toaster oven.

We don’t recommend freezing this dish for long-term storage.

More Roasted Veggies to Try

Our Favorite Simple Radish Dish: Garlic Roasted Radishes

The Best Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Bacon Aioli

Baked Sweet Potato Recipe (Perfect Every Time)

Perfect Occasions to Serve Oven-Roasted Squash

This roasted acorn squash recipe is simple enough for a weeknight dinner and also a great side dish for your holiday table. Don’t be surprised if someone tells you that they had no idea that acorn squash could be prepared in a savory way! 

Here are some times when we think this roasted acorn squash recipe is just right:

• fall, winter, and spring holidays
• potlucks
• hosting dinner guests
• a new veggie for weeknight dinners
• Brunch

Try serving this roasted squash recipe with salmon or other fish. Or, roasted chicken, pork chops, grilled steak, or even as a vegetarian main dish with other foods.

More Recipes with Squash You’ll Love!

Oven-Baked Pork Chops with Delicata Squash

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Butternut Squash and Apple Hash with Sausage

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Squash with Bacon and Asparagus

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

Name

Email *

GDPR Consent *

• I consent to receive emails from The Real Food Dietitians *

Sign me up!

Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 209 reviews

Herb-Roasted Acorn Squash with Parmesan Recipe

Think beyond the classic brown sugar and give acorn squash a flavor up with this herb-roasted Parmesan acorn squash recipe. It’s a delicious and easy side dish made from a few everyday ingredients.

Prep: 10 minsCook: 25 minsTotal: 35 mins

Pin for Later Rate recipe

• Email Recipe

Print Recipe

Servings: 4 servings 1x

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 large acorn squash (or 2 small)
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese + more for garnishing
• 2–3 tablespoons fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried herbs (we suggest thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano, or a mix of these)
• 1 tablespoon butter or ghee, melted (may sub olive oil or coconut oil)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt + more to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
2. Line one large (or two medium-sized) baking sheets with parchment paper. 
3. Cut the acorn squash in half, from stem to tip, and scoop out the seeds. Then, cut each squash half into ½-inch thick moon-shaped slices.
4. In a bowl, combine the Parmesan, herbs, melted butter, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss until well mixed.
5. Spread the acorn squash pieces out onto the prepared baking sheet(s). 
6. Using your hands, gently press half of the Parmesan mixture onto one side of each squash piece for maximum coverage (it’s OK if a little falls off). Flip each piece of squash are repeat with the remaining Parmesan mixture.
7. Bake until the acorn squash pieces are tender and the Parmesan topping is crispy and slightly browned (about 25 minutes).
8. If desired, garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and herbs. Use a flat spatula to lift each acorn squash slice off of the baking dish and onto a serving tray or dinner plates.

Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.

Nutrition Information

• Serving Size: 1/4th of recipe
• Calories: 143
• Fat: 7 g
• (Sat Fat: 2 g)
• Sodium: 210 mg
• Carbohydrate: 13 g
• (Fiber: 3 g
• Sugar: 0 g)
• Protein: 5 g

Dietary

Egg-FreeGluten-freeGrain-FreeNut-freeVegetarian

© The Real Food Dietitians

Recipe By: Jessica Beacom

For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!